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Today, the San Francisco Safer Schools Sexual Assault Task Force releases its final report, after a year of convening to address sexual assault on campus in San Francisco. “We need to create environments where everyone can feel safe, comfortable and secure,” said Mayor Edwin M. Lee. “This report establishes a framework for how we can ensure that individuals live without fear of sexual assault, whether it is in their communities, homes or college campuses.”

The Safer Schools Sexual Assault Task Force was created by local ordinance, and was set up to meet for one year, monthly, from November 2016-October 2017. The final report summarizes existing laws regarding campus sexual assault, and contains 47 recommendations for how campuses, city agencies and service providers can best prevent and respond to sexual assault. The two overarching recommendations in the report are to 1) create an on-going Sexual Assault Task Force to address all sexual assault in San Francisco; and 2) to fully implement state and federal laws to prevent sexual assault on campus and respond effectively, in an era of potential federal roll backs.

“As the national conversation on sexual harassment has exposed, we need to be sure that our systems that respond to all forms of sexual assault, including sexual assault on campus, treat victims with concern and respect and hold offenders accountable,” said Debbie Mesloh, the President of the Commission on the Status of Women.

“Thanks to the work of the members of this task force, all fierce advocates in their own right, San Francisco can continue being the vanguard of setting survivor-centered policies and procedures in the areas of sexual assault as we have in the areas of domestic violence and human trafficking, and setting an example for the rest of the country,” said Supervisor Jane Kim who sponsored the legislation creating the Task Force.

"This report is a call to action. It is critical that resources be provided to implement each recommendation,” commented Amelia Gilbert, Task Force Member, survivor, and CEO of Vivifi.

Task Force member Leslie Simon of City College of San Francisco, noted, “This work is rooted in an anti-oppression framework that acknowledges the connections among all forms of power and abuse. It is work that must continue if we are to make our way out of these troubling times.”

“This is a ground-breaking report with recommendations that have the potential to make San Francisco a leader in using a trauma-informed, survivor-centered approach to the many facets of sexual assault prevention and response in our city,” said Task Force member Stacey Wiggall, Technical Assistance Coordinator at the UCSF Trauma Recovery Center.

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left//careadvocate.ucsf.edu/sites/careadvocate.ucsf.edu/files/menu-image-1.jpgWhether or not to report is up to you. You have various reporting options. Contact the CARE Advocate to better understand your options and rights.//careadvocate.ucsf.edu/sites/careadvocate.ucsf.edu/files/menu-image-0.jpgAfter sexual assault you may be physically hurt, emotionally drained, or unsure about what to do next. Learning more about your options can help ground you in a difficult time. You are not alone. There is help available.